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300 Hectares of Forests Lost to Tobacco Curing Annually Source from: The Times of India 12/22/2015 ![]() It's not only the citizens but Karnataka's forests too that are bearing the brunt of tobacco cultivation.Around 7,00,000 tonnes of fuel wood is extracted from trees to cure tobacco leaves, causing the state to lose 300 hectares of forest land every year. The revelation has come to light through research conducted by Nayantara S Naik, professor, Centre for MultiDisciplinary Development Research (CMDR), Dharwad.Karnataka produces some of the best flue-cured Virginian tobacco in the world, 75% of which is cured (dried for cigarette production) with fuel wood; 8kg of wood is required to cure 1kg of tobacco. "Using fuel wood for the process leads to extensive depletion of forest cover and loss of biodiversity, with forest areas turning into dry lands. Forests in Mysuru located near villages where tobacco is cultivated are more prone to the destruction," says the study . Hassan and Mysuru districts together contribute around 97% of the total tobacco production in the state, which makes for around 5% of the world's high-quality tobacco. "After being harvested, tobacco is cured in barns. The leaves are hung from poles and left to dry for two or three days. The heat absorbs moisture from the leaves, changing their colour from green to brown. After drying, farmers grade the leaves according to their texture and colour and pack them into bundles," Nayantara told TOI. Fuel wood cheaper: Farmers KC Sandeep, a tobacco farmer from Periyapatna taluk, Mysuru, said: "Tobacco cultivators prefer fuel wood over coffee and paddy husks as it's cheaper and the process requires little monitoring and manpower. Curing tobacco with a tonne of fuel wood costs Rs 2,800Rs 3,000, whereas with the same amount of coffee husk, it costs Rs 3,800-Rs 4,500," he said. "Earlier, we used paddy husks to cure tobacco but it's a painstaking procedure. One has to monitor the progress every 10 minutes. In the case of fuel wood, one can initiate the process and forget about it for at least 3-4 hours. Moreover, paddy husk easily gets damaged due to rain while fuel wood doesn't," he added. Sreemoyee Chatterjee BENGALURU: It's not only the citizens but Karnataka's forests too that are bearing the brunt of tobacco cultivation.Around 7,00,000 tonnes of fuel wood is extracted from trees to cure tobacco leaves, causing the state to lose 300 hectares of forest land every year. The revelation has come to light through research conducted by Nayantara S Naik, professor, Centre for MultiDisciplinary Development Research (CMDR), Dharwad.Karnataka produces some of the best flue-cured Virginian tobacco in the world, 75% of which is cured (dried for cigarette production) with fuel wood; 8kg of wood is required to cure 1kg of tobacco. "Using fuel wood for the process leads to extensive depletion of forest cover and loss of biodiversity, with forest areas turning into dry lands. Forests in Mysuru located near villages where tobacco is cultivated are more prone to the destruction," says the study . Hassan and Mysuru districts together contribute around 97% of the total tobacco production in the state, which makes for around 5% of the world's high-quality tobacco. "After being harvested, tobacco is cured in barns. The leaves are hung from poles and left to dry for two or three days. The heat absorbs moisture from the leaves, changing their colour from green to brown. After drying, farmers grade the leaves according to their texture and colour and pack them into bundles," Nayantara told TOI. Enditem |